The meaning behind the gold signet ring Prince Charles always wears

Chances are you haven’t paid much attention to Prince Charles’ hands - but if you have, you might have noticed the piece of jewellery he always wears on his pinkie finger.

For more than four decades, the Prince of Wales has sported a gold signet ring, believed to be more than 175 years old, on the little finger of his left hand.

Photos show Charles, 69, wearing the ring as far back as 1975. Look closely at the portraits from his engagement to Princess Diana in 1981, and there it is.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it. (Getty)
Sometimes referred to as “the gentleman’s ring”, the signet ring has been around as long as people have worn jewellery.

“Signet rings can carry meaning, reminding the wearer of their family, or, in the case of a club or society crest, creating a sense of kinship and belonging, much like a club tie or a pin badge”, author and etiquette expert Lucy Hume tells The Telegraph.

“They were used historically as a seal with a unique family crest to sign documents.”

Prince Charles has worn his signet ring for at least 40 years. (Getty)
They're not exactly used for signing documents these days, but the rings remain a telltale marker of social status.

In fact, etiquette expert William Hanson tells Harper’s Bazaarthe men of England’s upper class are traditionally more likely to wear a signet ring than a wedding band.

"The signet ring shows lineage, which is obviously more important than any comparatively trivial romance," he explains.

Charles may be an exception to this ‘rule’, however, as he wears his wedding band stacked beneath his signet ring on his pinkie, rather than on his ring finger.

Prince Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005. Note the signet ring made an appearance. (Getty)
He did this during his marriage to Princess Diana, and continues to do the same with his wedding ring from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Though some signet ring wearers have their initials engraved into the jewellery, the future king’s bears something slightly more impressive: the official crest of the Prince of Wales.

"Signet rings should only have a family crest on—ones with your initials are treated as a bit suspect,” Hanson tells Harper’s Bazaar.

Princess Diana and Pippa Middleton have both been spotted with signet rings. (Getty)
Beatrice Behlen, senior curator of fashion and decorative arts at the Museum of London, believes the rings became more popular as the bourgeoisie came to the fore.

“Members of the middle class would not have a coat of arms, so having a signet ring would be a prominent sign to show that you are of a higher class,” she explains to Bloomberg.

Though the signet ring tends to be associated with men, women wear them too. Princess Diana wore one back in the '80s, while more recently Pippa Middleton - sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge - has been photographed with a hefty gold ring on her pinkie.